We did a One Night in Bethlehem activity at our chapel prior to Christmas. We tried to serve all biblical or middle eastern foods . . . finger foods, foods that would make great nibbles for the New Year's Eve Buffet table.

I made this lovely feta dip, which was really delicious and tangy and so simple to make. It is basically just feta cheese, olive oil, thyme and lemon zest and juice blitzed until smooth in the food processor or blender. Very simple really.

It was absolutely wonderful! It was nice served with vegetables for dipping and crackers for spreading. You want something crisp to go with the smooth richeness of this dip. It went down a real treat.

Place
all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. Cover
and chill until needed. Place into a serving bowl. Drlzzle the top
with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a few thyme leaves.

I also made these lovely little Lamb Kofta Meatballs. Spicy and just wonderful served with some pita breads and Tzatziki for dipping. You could fry them if you wanted to, but I just bake them in the oven because they brown nicely, evenly and as lamb is a rather fatty meat anyways it helps to cut down on some of that extra fat.

Moist and spicy. Serve with some Tzatziki sauce for dipping. (Your own or purchased)

2 pounds lean ground lamb

1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced

1/2 bunch of fresh flat leaf parsely, finely chopped

1 TBS ground cumin

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

fine sea salt and fine black pepper to taste

Preheat
the oven to 200*C/400*F/gas mark 6. Have ready several rimmed baking
sheets. Place the cumin, cinnamon and allspice into a dry frying pan.
Cook over medium heat until very fragrant. Remove from the heat and
allow to cool.

Crumble the meat into a bowl. Add the
chopped onion, parsley and cooled spices. Season with salt and
pepper. (If you wish you may cook a small bit of this in the frying pan
and taste it to see if you have seasoned it correctly.) Shape the
mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place them evenly spaced on the baking
trays. Bake in the heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until nicely
browned and cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature with
sauce for dipping if desired.

Note: These are also nice served hot and tucked into warm Pita Breads with some lettuce and sauce.

I was recently sent a packet of these delicious Mrs Crimble's Mature Cheese & Onion oven baked Potato Bites to taste. I can't show you what they look like as they were largely crumbs by the time they got pushed through my post box, but I can tell you what they taste like! Delicious.Crisp and crunchy, satisfyingly so with a lovely mild cheese and onion flavour.

I don't know about you, but after all the feasting of the past few weeks I am going to be trying to eat a bit healthier in the next few weeks, with lots of fruit and veg and when it comes to wanting a bit of an indulgence, a now and again snack like these Mrs Crimble's Mature Cheese & Onion Potato Bites.

At only 90 calories a bag they help to keep the calories down and they are definitely tasty . Oven baked (not fried) and gluten free they make a delicious alternative to all those high fat bags of crisps.

At present they are available at the Co-op at £1.79 for a multi pack of 4.

I just adore all the fresh local produce that we find in the shops at this time of year . . . lovely cabbages, red, white and savoy . . . beautiful carrots, and onions . . . potatoes, beetroot, parsnips, beans, cauliflower, leeks, etc. There is no end to it all . . . that makes me a very happy camper. I love to eat seasonally and everything tastes so very delicious when it's fresh and local.

I love to showcase these fabulous fresh ingredients in any way that I can and incorporate them into our meals on a regular basis. I have to confess that you cannot get a much nicer bake . . . than a vegetable gratin . . .

This one that I am sharing with you today is especially nice . . . using not only potatoes and onions . . . but cabbage and bacon as well . . . and not one . . . but TWO lovely cheeses.

First a nice freshly grated chunk of wonderful Parmesan cheese. True Parmigiano-Reggiano has a beautiful complex flavor that goes very nicely in dishes like this. It brings to the table a slightly nutty/fruity flavor along with a strong savory undertone . . . a wonderful addition.

Then there is an abundant amount of taleggio cheese, which is a washed rind and smear ripened Italian cheese with a strong aroma, but fruity mild taste. It's beautiful melting qualities are perfectly showcased in this lovely dish.

Let's not forget the back bacon . . . which lends a light smokey flavor, which is quite delightful when enjoyed along side of the cheeses and those tender vegetables.

Mind you . . . there's not much that can't be beautifully enhanced with the addition of bacon and cheese don't you think??? Nom Nom! A simple supper with complex and robust flavors. I like that very much.

Bring
a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the potato and
bring back to the boil. Cover and cook for exactly 5 minutes, or until
just barely tender. Drain well and then place in a large bowl.

Heat
the oil in a large skillet. Add the bacon and fry until the bacon
begins to color. Lower the heat and add the onions, garlic, thyme and
chili flakes. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the onion has
softened.

Wash the cabbage pieces. Tip a third of it into the
pan while it is still wet. Cook, stirring and adding more cabbage as it
wilts in the pan, until you have added all of the cabbage and adding a
bit of water as necessary to help keep the cabbage from sticking to the
pan. Once the cabbage is completely wilted, remove the pan from the
heat and dump this mixture into the bowl with the potatoes. Toss gently
together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Tip in half of the
Parmesan cheese.

Layer
half of the cabbage and potato mixture into the pan. Dot with half of
the taleggio cheese. Cover with the remaining cabbage and potato
mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and dot with the
remaining taleggio.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are piping hot and the cheese is bubbling and flecked golden brown.

A little pickle on the side and some buttered bread and we were in heaven . . .

One thing that I love about food blogging is that it's not about me. It's not even about you . . . it's about the recipes and the food!

It's about being able to cook and taste some of the best and most indulgent foods ever . . . and exploring the culinary delights my adopted country has to offer me.

It's about stretching my skills . . . both in the kitchen and . . . behind the camera . . . and about making food that not only tastes delicious, but food that looks good.

It's about waking up every morning and making YOU believe that what I am presenting to you on this page is the absolute best thing ever . . .

and about making you want to go into your own kitchen and cook it for yourselves, because you have just got to taste it for real, and because I have inspired you to do it, and given you the confidence to believe that you can!

Your comments are like me winning the "X Factor of food" every day of my life, and I thank you for that. Here's to more deliciousness in 2014. Let's begin as we mean to go on.

Dust the work surface with half of the sugar. Roll the pastry out on the sugared surface to a rectangle 10 by 12 inches in size. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining half of the sugar. Gently press the sugar in with a rolling pin. Starting at the short sides, roll the pastry towards the middle from both edges into the centre until they meet. Press together gently. Cut across the rolls into 16 slices. Place onto the baking tray. Press down to flatten slightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes until crisp and golden, turning them over halfway through the baking time so that they caramelize equally on both sides. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Whip the cream along with the icing sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Sandwich together pairs of the palmiers with some of the whipped cream and some of the jam. Serve immediately.

My very British Husband is quite fond of telling me that eating peanut butter and jam together is completely insane.
That didn't stop him from scarfing down three of these as soon as I had them finished though! (Me thinks he is a bit of a porkie pie teller and that he secretly LOVES the combination as much as I do!)

Could it be that I have finally indoctrinated him to my wild and wooly North American ways???? Could it be that his veins are beginning to run a tiny bit with peanut butter and jam??? I like to think so at any rate! This is a combination I love soooo much! It's that sweet and salty thing!

Today I decided to indulge it by making little peanut butter cookie cups. I was going to make them snickers cups . . . but then I got sidelined by the Thames Jubilee Pageant and so I just filled them with jam before baking and then topped them with a quick buttercream icing. I wanted to sit and watch all the fun!
(Oh my but it was fabulous! I've never seen anything like it. Everyone was turned out beautifully. I thought Kate was just gorgeous, as always, and the Queen looked positively radiant!)

This is the type of thing I would positively make for Her Royal Majesty, did she ever chance to drop in for tea. I would want to bake her something to with her cuppa that was ludicrously North American and what can be any more North American than Peanut Butter and Jam!! (I don't think she'd enjoy porqupine . . . not really.)

Preheat
the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready several mini juffin
tins. Spray with some nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Cream
together the butter and peanut butter until thorougly combined. Beat in
the egg and vanilla. Whisk together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of
soda. Stir this in to make a soft dough. Shape the dough into 1 1/2
inch balls. Place one in each muffin cup. Press in with the bottom of a
rolling pin, or a pastry damper to make a shell. Fill the centres with
about 1/2 tsp of jam. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They should be
lightly golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow
to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove and set on a wire rack to
finish cooling completely.

To make the frosting, combine all of
the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until
light and fluffy. Spoon or pipe a little dab of this frosting into the
centre of each cookie cup to cover the jam. Allow to set completely.

Alternately
the cookie dough can be rolled into walnut sized balls and pressed flat
with a fork on a lightly buttered baking tray. You can then bake them
for about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Put together with a layer of jam and a layer of the peanut butter
flavoured buttercream!

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you can eat just one, you're a better woman than I am!!

In any case if you didn't want to go to the trouble of making these as
cookie cups, you could just bake them as regular peanut butter cookies
and then sandwich them together with some of the frosting and some jam!

Parsnips were not a vegetable we had very often if at all when I was growing up. My mother did not like them at all. In fact she tells a story of her father trying to tempt her to eat just a tiny piece of one in exchange for a piece of candy (when she was a child) and she hated them so much that she couldn't even be tempted with something that was only a very rare treat.

I remember her cooking them once when I was in my teen years. She pared and sliced them into coins and then fried them in butter until they were golden brown on both sides. Oh my but there were lovely. She had been wanting to see if her tastes had changed. Alas . . . they hadn't and so that was the only time we ever had the opportunity to taste them.

As an adult I have cooked them frequently for I love them. They are delicious in stews and soups . . . mashed with butter and cream, roasted, glazed . . . any way you cook or cut them, I find them most delicious. They are well one of my favourite vegetables.

With the holidays I had quite a few of them in the vegetable bin . . . parsnips love nothing more than to be roasted and glazed and served with a roast turkey or beef . . . or ham and pork. I always get in lots because they are my favourite side dish of the holidays.

I did get in rather a lot this year though . . . but no worries for today I had enough left to make these delicious Parsnip Patties. Oh my but they are some good.

Crispy and buttery on the outsides . . . creamy and mildly spiced with a delicate flavour and sweetness on the insides . . . such a pleasure to eat.

I like to make a Cranberry Mustard to eat with them. I just whisk together equal parts of a wild cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard. It is the perfect accompaniment.

Of course you can make them a lot smaller for appetizer sized servings, about the size of a one pound coin or silver dollar will do. You'd get quite a few of these and of course would need extra oil for frying.

They are easy to make ahead of time and then just reheat in the oven when you want them. If you like parsnips, you're going to love these!

Creamy and sweet on the insides, crunchy on the outsides. Delicious! I like to serve them with a Dijon Cranberry Mustard which I make by whisking together equal parts of a whole berry cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard.

more dried bread crumbs for rolling
oil and butter for frying
snipped parsley for garnish

Cook the parsnips in the boiling water with the 1/2 tsp of salt until tender. Drain and mash well. Allow to cool. Stir in the first lot of bread crumbs and all of the seasonings, along with the beaten egg. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill well.

Scoop the well chilled mixture out using a small handful and shape into patties. Coat with the additional bread crumbs.

Heat a few TBS of butter along with an equal amount of oil over medium heat until the butter begins to foam. Add the parsnip patties and cook until golden brown on both sides. Drain and then serve hot along with some cranberry mustard. Delicious! Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.

Here is a little bit of tempting delicious for you today. Celebrations Brownies. A tasty way to use up some of those leftover Christmas chockies!

Imagine
a brownie so rich and gooey that you can’t help gasping with pleasure
when you sink your teeth into one . . . now add the hidden surprise of
your favourite chocolate candy bar deep inside it’s decadently rich,
chocolaty depth . . . Yes, you have died and gone to heaven.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Brush an 11 X 7 inch tin with melted butter and then life with greaseproof paper. Set aside.

Put
the butter and the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over
simmering, but not boiling water, making sure the water does not touch
the bottom of the top pan. Allow to melt, stirring occasionally. Remove
from the heat. Stir in the chocolate, mixing it in well.

Beat the
eggs together with the vanilla and the pinch of salt. Stir this into
the chocolate mixture, mixing it in well. Sift the flour and stir in
until well combined.

Un wrap the chocolates.

Pour half of
the chocolate batter into the prepared tin. Lay the chocolates evenly
spaced carefully over the top of the batter, making sure that there will
be at least one in each portion that is cut. Pour the remaining batter
over top, ensuring that all the chocolates are completely covered.

Bake
in the heated oven for 15 to 30 minutes until the top is crispy and
glazed looking but the insides are still soft. Remove from the oven and
to a rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

**Celebration
chocolates are a mixture we can get over here of small miniature
chocolate bars such as Milky Way, Bounty, Mars, Snickers, etc. If you
can’t get those use any favourite chocolate of yours. Malted milk balls
sprinkled over the layer work quite well, as do thin chocolate mints.
Chunks of caramel bar work equally as well. Let your decadent foodie
imagination run free!

So here you are. It's boxing day and you have a whole fridge filled with leftovers. What to do . . . what to do . . .

I thought I would give you some tasty ideas this morning to help you use up some of those scrummy leftovers. Of course you could just have a reheat of the leftovers, but it's also nice to dress them up in a few different ways too!Ham Leftovers:

We like to have ham, cut into thick slices and fried in butter along side of our fried eggs for a special boxing day breakfast. Just melt some butter and add the ham once it begins to sizzle. Cook until it begins to get crisp on the edges, flip over and repeat on the other side.

You can chop it up and add it to your favourite macaroni and cheese recipe, or to a pan of scallopped potatoes.

Combine it with some of the leftover turkey, and some of that Stilton in a tasty salad!

This
is a wonderful casserole that is not only very tasty, but also very
easy on the budget as well. My children always loved it when they were
growing up and it was something different to do with the ham that was
leftover from Easter. I often buy a slap of ham at the shops so that I
can make this as well.

Cook
the macaroni in lightly salted boiling water until done, according to
the packet directions. Drain well, rinse with cold water and drain
again. Set aside until needed.

Preheat the oven to
180*C/350*F/ Gas mark 4. Melt the 1/4 cup of butter in a saucepan.
Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for one minute over low heat.
Blend in the mustard, salt, pepper and sugar. In the meantime bring
the milk just to the boil. (Just until bubbles appear around the
edges) Slowly whisk the heated milk into the flour mixture, cooking
and stirring it until thickened, smooth and bubbly. Stir in the cooked
macaroni, ham and apple slices. Turn into a greased 2 litre casserole
dish.

Toss the bread crumbs with the 2 TBS butter and
sprinkle evenly over top of the casserole. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes
or until bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Place the salad greens in a large shallow bowl. Break up the red chicory leaves and toss into the bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil Tear the turkey and ham into bits with two forks. combine in a bowl along with the walnut pieces and stilton cheese. Add the salad dressing and mix to combine. Pile this mixture on top of the salad leaves and serve.

It's delicious chopped and mixed with grated cheese and then stuffed into a nice big fluffy baked potato.Turkey Leftovers:

Of course you can have a plain old turkey sandwich, but why not dress it up a bit and serve it open faced on a rustic piece of bread, topped with some leftover cranberry sauce, some of the leftover stuffing heated and crumbled on top of the cranberry, then the heated sliced turkey and some heated leftover gravy ladled over top. Delicious with a few sliced pickles and some potato crisps on the side!

My mom always made Turkey Pot pies, or Beef Pot pies. We loved them! You can follow the roughly outlined recipe below, which is only a rough guideline of what to do. You can adapt it to whatever it is you have in your fridge. If you are using beef, then use the leftover beef gravy of course!

2 mugs full of leftover turkey, chopped
2 mugs full of leftover cooked vegetables, chopped
(peas, carrots, corn) If you haven't got any, then you can
use 2 mugs of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
a handful of roasted potatoes, chopped
1 mug full of leftover turkey gravy
1 mug full of milk
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp summer savoury
salt and black pepper to taste
Pastry to cover
milk and beaten egg yolk

Mix together all the ingredients except for the pastry in a large bowl, seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper. Spread into a large round, or oval shallow casserole dish. Roll out your pastry to cover and place over top, venting to allow steam to escape. Brush with a bit of milk and beaten egg yolk. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes in an oven which has been preheated to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Serve warm.

I think one of the most popular things to do over here in the UK with the leftover turkey is to make a Turkey Curry, but how about Coronation Turkey Salad! Yummo!!

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil, until lightly browned. Mix in the spices and let them sizzle for about a minute. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock. Let simmer for about 20 minutes over low heat until the mixture has reduced and you have a thick, creamy, spicy onion mixture in the pan. Allow to cool completely. Whisk in the mayonnaise. Cut the leftover turkey into cubes and place in a large bowl. Pour the curry mayonnaise over top and toss to mix. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut, and garnish with a few torn coriander leaves.

Tip
the bread crumbs into a bowl along with the sage, thyme, marjoram,
nutmeg and parsley flakes. Mix together well. Stir in the broth,
beaten egg and sauteed vegetables. Season to taste with salt and
pepper. Stir in the chicken. Mix well. Spread this mixture into the
buttered pie dish.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until set and lightly browned.

Serve
cut into wedges along with some creamed peas and carrots spooned over
top if desired. A tossed salad goes very well with this.

2 TBS butter
2 TBS plain flour
1 pint of milk
salt and pepper to taste
cooked peas and carrots to taste
(I like a larger ratio of sauce to veg, but some people like more veg than sauce)

Melt
the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Slowly whisk in the
milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened.
Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for about five minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the vegetables and heat
through.

Put the dough ingredients into your automatic breadmaker according
to the directions for your particular breadmaker, following the dough
cycle. In the meantime heat a bit of oil in a frying pan. Add the
onions. Cook and stir over medium heat until they begin to wilt. Add
some seasoning and the balsamic vinegar. Turn the heat to low and
cook, stirring occasionally until golden and caramelized. Set aside to
cool.

Once the dough cycle has completed on your
machine, remove the dogh and punch down. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Roll the dough out to fit into your pizza pan leaving a bit of an
overhang. Butter the pan with some white vegetable shortening.
Sprinkle with some fine polenta or cornmeal if desired. Place the
crust in the pan, and fold the edge over to make a lip. Stir together
the barbecue sauce and cranberry sauce. Spread over the top of the
crust. Top with the caramelized onions and chopped turkey breast.
Sprinkle with the cheeses and Parmesan.

Preheat the
oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 5. Bake the pizza on the bottom rack of
the oven for about 15 minutes, then move it to the top rack and bake
for 10 to 15 minutes longer until the crust is golden brown and the
filling is bubbling. remove from the oven and allow to rest for about
10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

This
is a delicious way of using up some of the leftovers from your Sunday
Lunch. You can make this with fresh ground beef of course, but we love
it made with chopped leftover roast beef. I also like to use any
leftover cooked vegetables in the filling as well. Usually it's just
peas and carrots, but sometimes there is some swede as well. Just make
sure you chop your cooked carrots and or swede into roughly the same
size as the peas. French beans chopped are also nice. You can use
leftover gravy if you wish, but I normally don't have any leftover so
have made my own sauce.

Place the potatoes, parsnips and thyme into a saucepan of slightly
salted water. Bring to the boil. Cook until the potatoes are soft,
then drain well, discarding the stem from the thyme. Mash well, adding
a knob of butter and some milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Set aside.

Place the leftover roast and onions in a
large skillet, with any beef drippings that you may have. If not you
may need to use a bit of oil. Cook and stir until the onions are
softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute or so until
fragrant. Sprinkle with the flour and stir it in. Stir in the
boiling water until the sauce thickens. Crumble the bouillion cubes
in, stirring until they are completely melted. You may need the full 4
depending on how much of a beefy flavour you want. Stir in the
worcestershire sauce, ketchup and horseradish sauce. Mix all in well.
Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into a
shallow baking dish.

Spoon the parsnip mash over top in a rustic manner.

Bang
into a pre-heated 200*C/400*F oven and bake until the filling is
bubbling and the mash is beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and
allow to sit for 5 minutes or so before serving. Delicious!

Leftover Vegetables:

We can't be forgetting the leftover Christmas Veg!! I know we all buy in far more than we need, and then end up with it hanging about the fridge. Here's a few different recipes for some dishes using some of that leftover veg so it doesn't get all wilted and go to waste!

Place the parsnips in a pan of cold water to cover. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt and bring to the boil. cook for 12 minutes. While the parsnips are cooking, blanch the sprouts in another pan of boiling water for about 3 minutes, until tender, adding the peas for the final minute. Drain all the vegetables well. Tip the drained parsnips back into the pan along with the lemon juice and half the butter. Mash roughly. Beat in the cooked sprouts, peas, cumin, garam masala, chili and coriander. Season to taste with some salt.

Heat the remaining butter in a medium sized non-stick skillet. When it begins to sizzle, tip in the parsnip mixture, pressing it down to form a flat cake. Cook, until it is browned underneat. Turn over carefully with a fish slice. (It may break up but that's ok) Continue cooking until crisp on this side as well. Keep flipping and turning until you have a nicely crisped cake. Slice out onto a heated plate. Garnish with the coriander leaves. Cut into wedges to serve.

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark6. Place 2 TBS of the oil in a large roasting tin and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Toss iin the prepared vegetables, giving them a stir to coat with the oil. Roast for one hour until tender, turning occasionally.Mix in the chopped chestnuts and cook for a further 10 minutes. Whisk together the lime juice, remaining TBS of oil and a bit of seasoning. Divide the roasted vegetables between 4 heated serving plates. Scatter with the crumbled stilton and drizzle with the lime dressing. Serve immediately.

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a shallow 11 by 7 baking dish. Set aside.

Place the apple in a pot with the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the mincemeat and cranberries. Pour into the baking dish, leveling out.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Sift in the flour and stir in along with the almonds. Spread this mixture over top of the fruit in the baking dish. Level off and then sprinkle with the flaked almonds.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the topping is well risen and golden brown, and the fruit is bubbling beneath. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then, serve warm with some pouring cream. Delicious!

A delicious trifle which consists of a lovely rich custard baked over top of some crumbled Christmas pudding until wobbly. Chilled and then covered with amaretti biscuits, brandy cream, flaked almonds and silver balls, this is probably one of the nicest trifles I've ever eaten . . .

Preheat the oven to 110*C/225*F/ gas mark 1/4. Place 6 200ml containers on a baking tray. Crumble some Christmas Pudding into the bottom of each. You can use as much as you want. I crumbled about 1 TBS of the stuff into each container, so that it was about 1/2 inch deep. Set aside.

Heat the milk and double cream together, along with a grating of nutmeg, just to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale. Whisk in the heated milk mixture, whisking constantly. Strain this mixture into the prepared pots, dividing it equally amongst them. Grate a little more nutmeg on top. Bake in the heatred oven for 30 to 40 minutes, just until set. The centre should still have a slight wobble. Remove from the oven. Cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Just before serving, whip the cream softly along with a dash of brandy, or brandy flavouring. Crumble 2 amaretti biscuits over top of each pudding, then top with some whipped brandy cream. Sprinkle some toasted almonds and silver balls over top of each and serve.

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About Me

Marie Rayner

Canadian ex pat deliciously living and cooking in the UK. I cook and eat every day. I like to take pictures of it and then share it with you!

How I got Here

Welcome to my English Kitchen. I moved over here to England from Canada in the year 2000. Before I arrived, I was told that the cooking and food over here was awful, except for the Roast Beef and the Fish and Chips. I had no idea of what to expect, but it didn't sound good.
I landed at Heathrow with a bulging suitcase full of kitchen tools, handwritten recipes and a 4 litre can of Maple Syrup, totally prepared to be greeted with the worst.
I am happy to say that over the past 17 years I have discovered that most of what I had heard was totally and completelywrong!
Here in the UK we have some of the best poultry, meats, fishes, ingredients and produce in the world, and some of the most innovative chefs. I have learned so much about cooking in the past fifteen years, and I've enjoyed trying and experiencing many new things, thankfully most of them wonderfully delicious!
I love English food . . . both the traditional, and the wonderful blend that is modern British Cuisine . . . a delicious mixture of a variety of tastes and cultures.
I hope you'll come along with me as I explore all the wonderful tastes, sights and textures that England has to offer even the most discerning of palates.

Contact Me

If you have any questions or want to work with me, feel free to e-mail me at mariealicejoan@aol.com

Colour me Chuffed

Thank You

TWEET

Did You Know???

Make Your Own Self Raising Flour:You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour.

Make Your Own Baking Powder:You can make your own baking powder by combining 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda with 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar. It's ideal for coeliac sufferers who can't find the gluten-free variety of this raising agent, but measure it out carefully because too much or too little can upset a recipe's balance.

Make Your Own Mixed Spice:You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

Make Your Own Cajun Seasoning: Mix together 2 1/2 TBS of salt, 1 TBS dried oregano leaves (Rub to a powder using your fingertips), 1 TBS sweet paprika, 1 TBS cayenne pepper, and 1 TBS ground black pepper. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to six months.Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice: Mix together 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground mace or ground cardamom. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.